Will Bishop, a Kansas University graduate student from Boise, Idaho uses an umbrella to protecting himself from sleet falling on campus on Thursday, Feb. 24, 2011.

It started as rain. Then it was sleet. Then finally snow.

Yet another winter storm worked its way across Kansas and through Lawrence on Thursday, dumping a variety of wintry precipitation over the area.

The National Weather Service in Topeka, which upgraded what had been a winter weather advisory to a full-blown winter storm warning early Thursday, predicted 3 inches to 5 inches of snow would fall across northeast Kansas before midnight.

As of late Thursday, those predictions proved accurate.

Weather spotters for NWS reported 4.4 inches of snowfall in the northwest part of Lawrence.

The accumulation was also evident by the collection of cars with flashing hazard lights littering city streets. As many as eight vehicles were stranded on Sixth Street about 7 p.m. Thursday, causing the traffic flow to crawl along while navigating around the immobile vehicles.

Despite the numerous fender-benders, slide-offs and generally poor driving conditions, no serious injury accidents were reported.

Lawrence street maintenance crews began working 24-hour cycles early Thursday in preparation for the winter weather, treating roads and working to clear them throughout the afternoon and evening.

Crews are expected to continue working through the duration of the storm.

Temperatures dropped below freezing Thursday evening, with wind gusts up to 30 miles per hour. Snowfall tapered off before midnight, coinciding with the expiration of the winter storm warning. Temperatures are forecast to remain near freezing the next couple of days.

There is still a slight chance for snow and freezing drizzle Friday and into Saturday morning. Temperatures are expected to reach above 50 degrees by Sunday.